Coronavirus News highlights: Kerala records 22,000 Covid cases for 3rd day; Central team to aid in pandemic management

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 181 freshCovid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the tally to 3,21,207, while one new death took the toll to 4,377, officials said.

Out of the fresh cases, 67 were from the Jammu Division and 114 from the Kashmir Division of the union territory, they said.

The officials said Srinagar recorded the highest of 37 cases, followed by 24 in Doda district.

(PTI)

. Pakistan’s top anti-coronavirus official said on Thursday that enforcing smart lockdown and not closing down entire cities was the solution to fight theCovid-19 pandemic.

Asad Umar, the chief of Nation Command and Operation Center (NCOC), spoke with the reporters after heading an important meeting of the NCOC during which it was decided that individuals employed or involved in high-risk sectors must get vaccinated by August 31.

(PTI)

. USPresident Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday to extend the eviction moratorium to protect renters and their families amid a deadly rise in coronavirus infections, the White House said on Thursday.

(Reuters)

. Spain's Catalonia on Thursday extended for a second time a nighttime curfew that was imposed on the tourist hotspot to fight aCovid-19 surge.

A Catalan court approved the regional government's request to extend the nightly curfew between 1:00 am and 6:00 am in 163 cities including Barcelona and popular beach resorts like Sitges and Salou.

The measure was imposed in the northwestern region bordering France in mid-July and this is the second time that it is extended.

(AFP)

. Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 7,91,796, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported during the day, an official said. The death toll remains unchanged at 10,513, he said.

The overall recovery count in MP stands at 7,81,153 and the state has 130 active cases, he said. With 71,090 samples being examined during the day, the number of coronavirus tests in Madhya Pradesh went up to 1,42,83,842, the official added.

(PTI)

. The government on Thursday said travel restrictions are being eased for Indian students by several countries including the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany and that more nations are expected to do the same when the coronavirus situation improves.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in the Rajya Sabha that the government has been making efforts for easing travel restrictions for Indian students enrolled in foreign universities.

(PTI)

. Multiplex chain PVR Cinemas on Thursday announced that its theatres will be reopening from July 30 with all of its staff fully vaccinated againstCovid-19.

In a statement, PVR said that its cinemas will resume operations from July 30 in states and union territories that have allowed theatres to reopen.

(PTI)

. No death due toCovid-19 was recorded in Delhi on Thursday, while 51 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

This is the third time, since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital, that zero fatality has been logged in a day.

(PTI)

. Production across Britain's automotive sector has fallen dramatically due to staff shortages, as workers self-isolate under governmentCovid-19 tracing rules, an industry body said on Thursday.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said up to 30 percent of workers in some companies were being forced to stay at home because they were "pinged" by theCovidapp.

(AFP)

. All travellers arriving in Germany will be required from this weekend to demonstrate immunity fromCovid-19 either from a vaccine or previous infection, or present a negative test result, Der Spiegel reported.

The plan, in a health ministry paper seen by the magazine, reflects growing concern among Germany's regional and national leaders that rising caseloads in tourist destinations could help fuel a fourth wave when Germans come home from holiday.

. Indonesia's regionalCovid-19 deaths vastly outnumber its national tally, an independent organisation which collects data on the Southeast Asian country's coronavirus outbreak said in a statement on Thursday.

Indonesia is Asia'sCovid-19 epicentre and has over the last week reported over 1,500 deaths a day, including a record 2,069 deaths on Tuesday. That tally does not include all regional deaths, however, meaning the true toll could be much higher, according to the LaporCovid-19 data monitoring group.

(Reuters)

. More than 4 billion doses of anti-Covidvaccines have been administered around the world, eight months after the vaccination drive started, according to an AFP count Thursday.

Global injections have slowed slightly: this fourth billion was reached in 30 days, while it took only 26 days to reach the previous one. The first and second billion were reached after about 140 and 40 days respectively.

(AFP)

. Japanese officials sounded the alarm Thursday as Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for the third straight day with the Olympics well underway.

“We have never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters. He said the new cases were soaring not only in the Tokyo area but across the country.

Tokyo reported 3,865 new cases Thursday, up from 3,177 on Wednesday and double the numbers a week ago, setting an all-time high since the pandemic began early last year.

(AP)

. Emergency room doctor Babacar Diop, 30, keeps getting interrupted by the ringing of his mobile phone.

Relatives of patients in the saturated emergency ward in Fann hospital, in Senegal's seaside capital Dakar, are calling to ask after their loved ones.

"The situation is very catastrophic," says Diop, who looks grim and fatigued at the beginning of a 12-hour night shift.

Ambulances come and go bearing rasping and coughing patients -- whom Diop more often than not has to turn away because of a lack of oxygen.

(AFP)

. Pakistan will ban air travel for anyone without a Covid-19 vaccine certificate from Aug.1 and will require all public sector workers to get vaccinated by Aug. 31, the government announced on Thursday along with a host of other restrictions.

(Reuters)

. The Maharashtra disaster management department is in favour of allowing people fully vaccinated againstCovid-19 to travel in local trains in Mumbai, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday.

However, a final decision would be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Tope told a TV channel before a meeting called by the CM with the stateCovid-19 task force.

So far, only people engaged in essential and emergency services, as categorised by the government, are allowed to travel in local trains as part of the state's efforts to check the spread ofCovid-19

(PTI)

. The Juventus squad has been forced to isolate after Tunisian midfielder Hamza Rafia tested positive forCovid-19, the Italian club announced on Thursday.

“In compliance with the legislation and in agreement with the local health authority, the team group has entered into fiduciary isolation as of today,” the club said in a statement.

(Reuters)

. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it will begin home vaccination of bed-ridden people in the city against coronavirus on an experimental basis from Friday.

The initiative will be rolled out first in the K-east administrative ward covering the western suburbs of Andheri east, Marol, Chakala and others, it said. In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the BMC said that the citizens, who are bed-ridden due to various physical or medical reasons, will be vaccinated under this exercise starting July 30.

(PTI)

. Health authorities in Thailand raced to set up a large field hospital in a cargo building at one of Bangkok's airports on Thursday as the country reported record numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Other field hospitals are already in use in the capital after it ran out of hospital facilities for thousands of infected residents.

Workers rushed to finish the 1,800-bed hospital at Don Mueang International Airport, where beds made from cardboard box materials were laid out with mattresses and pillows. It is to be ready for patients in two weeks.

(AP)

. Jharkhand reported 27 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which pushed the tally to 3,47,049, a health department bulletin said.

The Covid-19 death toll rose to 5,126 in the state with one fresh fatality due to the contagion reported from East Singhbhum in the last 24 hours, it said on Wednesday.

Of the 27 new cases, Bokaro reported six cases followed by four from Ranchi and three from Deoghar.

(PTI)

. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday that the government will decide on Friday whether to declare regional states of emergency in response to calls from some prefectures.

(Reuters)

. The United States is expected to delay a partial rollback of a controversial migrant expulsion policy, according to three people familiar with the matter, citing fears related to the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The administration of President Joe Biden had planned to exempt migrant families arriving at the US-Mexico border from the expulsion policy by July 31, while continuing to keep it for individuals, sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters earlier this month.

(Reuters)

. Almost 690,000 people in England and Wales were contacted by the officialCovid-19 health app and advised to isolate after coming into contact with someone with the virus in the week to July 21, official data shows.

(Reuters)

. AstraZeneca still plans to seek USapproval for itsCovid-19 vaccine even though the process there is taking longer than expected, because it may still be used in the country in the future, CEO Pascal Soriot said on Thursday.

(Reuters)

. Australia's track and field team was briefly placed in isolation on Thursday as a coronavirus scare caused fresh jitters on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics athletics programme.

Nearly 60 athletes and staff were confined to their rooms for more than two hours after US pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks tested positive forCovid-19.

All were later released apart from three close contacts of Kendricks, who have tested negative but remain in isolation and will be tested daily.

(AFP)

. When President Joe Biden entered office, his administration made clear it intended to fight theCovid-19 pandemic by focusing on getting the country vaccinated. With the Delta variant of the coronavirus now raging and a large chunk of Americans rejecting vaccines, that strategy is under scrutiny.

When Biden, a Democrat, took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, roughly 400,000 people in the United States had died fromCovid-19 and thousands more were dying every day. Inoculations had only just become available.

Biden's team pushed a major vaccine rollout and incentive campaign involving 42,000 pharmacies, dozens of mass vaccination sites, ride-share companies, a beer maker, and 5,100 active duty troops. Top officials fanned out across the country to preach a well-honed message: getting vaccinated means a return to normal.

(Reuters)

. Masks help stop the spread of the coronavirus. They’re a literal layer between you and any virus in the air and can help prevent infection.

The reason public health officials are calling for more mask-wearing is that there is clear and mounting evidence that – though rare – breakthrough Covid-19 infections can occur in people who are fully vaccinated. This is particularly true with emerging variants of concern. The good news is that Covid-19 infection, if it does happen, is much less likely to lead to serious illness or death in vaccinated people.

. The Union Health Ministry will depute a six-member team to Kerala for effective Covid-19 management as the state reports a spike in daily cases.

The team headed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director S K Singh will reach Kerala Friday and visit some districts reporting a high case positivity rate, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

. The rise of the highly contagious delta variant is challenging even the most aggressive Covid-19 containment regimes, an ominous sign as economies look to open up and return to pre-pandemic life.

An outbreak that started at an airport in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing is testing that country’s zero-tolerance measures, which are some of the most sweeping and comprehensive in the world. New infections are rising by the dozens and seeding subsequent clusters around China despite well-honed systems of mass testing and stringent quarantines. Beijing reported its first locally transmitted infection in six months Thursday, linked to an outbreak in the southern province of Hunan among people who’d recently been to Nanjing.

. India has imported 31.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 1 and 4.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 2 vaccine till date, saysMoS MEA V Muraleedharan in Rajya Sabha

. The Tokyo Olympics organisers on Thursday announced 24 newCovid-19 cases, including three athletes, the highest one-day figures so far at the Games, even as the organisers insisted that the showpiece is not behind the record surge in the host city.

The city logged in an all-time high of 3865 positive cases on Thursday. Three new deaths were recorded with 81 patients being described as "severe cases".

(PTI)

. The United States on Wednesday announced an additional financial assistance of $25 million (Rs 185 crore) to support the Covid-19 vaccination programme in India.

After a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced the additional financial assistance to support vaccine supply chain logistics and campaign against vaccine hesitancy in India.

. The cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country have crossed 45 crore with those in the 18-44 age group receiving more than 15.38 crore jabs, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

. The nationwide lockdown in India in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on women’s nutrition in the country, according to a study conducted by a group of researchers in the US.

Coronavirus News highlights: Kerala records 22,000 Covid cases for 3rd day; Central team to aid in pandemic management

J&K records 181 new Covid cases, 1 death

Imposing smart lockdown is solution to combat Covid-19: Pak minister

Biden seeks to extend protections from eviction amid Covid-19 spike

Spain's Catalonia extends nightly coronavirus curfew

Follow us on :

Follow Us